$201,000 awarded to empower local community groups

At Wednesday night's Gala, the 201 members of Impact100 Wakatipu came together to celebrate the remarkable contributions of five local charities, culminating in a vote that determined this year’s grant recipients.

The evening was filled with inspiring stories and a shared commitment to uplifting the community.

Taking home the top honours, Southern Lakes Sanctuary Trust and Whakatipu Rowing Club each received a generous grant of $100,500.

Committed to the long-term protection of the critically endangered takahē, Southern Lakes Sanctuary is preparing for a release of these iconic birds in February 2025. Their project focuses on habitat protection through predator control and the creation of the "Impact100 Turk" in the Rees Valley to aid monitoring efforts during this vital initiative.

Part of a broader redevelopment initiative, Whakatipu Rowing Club’s “Impact100 Indoor Training Space” will offer year-round training facilities for health and wellness activities accessible to all ages, fostering community engagement and supporting local recreational groups beyond rowing who all use Lake Hayes such as Queenstown Kayak Club, Southern Lakes MultiSport Club and Whakatipu Waka Ama.

Clare Irons, Chair of Impact100 Wakatipu, said: “The evening was a wonderful celebration of community spirit and generosity. To see these two community projects receive funding is truly rewarding.

Paul Kavanagh, Project Director of Southern Lakes Sanctuary expressed his gratitude for the outcome: “this means so much to us because what we’re trying to do is protect Takahe for future generations, and now we have security for the next couple of years to make sure the Takahe population really thrives post-release, a huge thank you to all the women of Impact100 Wakatipu.”

Ashton White, Whakatipu Rowing Club member and Year 13 student of Wakatipu High School added, “this grant will mean we are able to share our clubhouse with other community groups who use and look after Lake Hayes and provide better facilities for WHS students of the future. We want to see more kids have the chance to become great high school athletes and members of our community.”

Looking ahead, the next call for applications from local charities will open in May 2025. Women interested in joining the collective efforts of Impact100 can do so between 1st November 2024 and April 30th 2025.

The funding available for grants is determined after this date. “Our events team is gearing up for a series of informative events over the next six months. We warmly invite all Whakatipu women to come learn more about Impact100 and engage with our growing list of grant recipients,” Irons concluded.